Intelligence producers promise they've never seen Chuck and didn't rip it off

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The new CBS sci-fi series Intelligence might bear some similarities to NBC’s beloved Chuck, but the creators of the show say they never made a trip to the Buy More to look for ideas. Promise.

Ever since Intelligence was announced, sci-fi fans have been comparing it to the fan-favorite spy-fi series Chuck. The two shows might have completely different tones, but they both focus on a spy with a supercomputer in his head, so it’s easy to see where the confusion could come in.

Intelligence is a more serious take on the concept, flirting with other modern-day tech issues like surveillance and drones, while Chuck was a semi-comedy spy-fi romp love story. But it hasn’t stopped folks from wondering if the Intelligence team might’ve ripped off the concept a bit then put a new spin on it.

In a recent interview as part of the TCA press tour, Intelligence producers Tripp Vinson andMichael Seitzman said the writing team has never even seen an episode of Chuck, so any similarities are purely coincidental:

Vinson: “We’re embarrassed to say that neither of us watched ['Chuck'], so obviously it wasn't an influence for us because we hadn't seen it. We did a lot of research about how [technology] like this could exist and work -- like Google Glass was in the news quite a bit. so that was more of an influence.”

Seitzman: You don't want to steal anyone's idea so it's actually a good thing that we stayed away. It’s better for us if we keep our distance.”

Though the producers have never seen Chuck, that doesn’t mean star Josh Holloway (Lost) is unfamiliar with the Buy More gang. It turns out Holloway has bought a few Subway sandwiches in his day, and calls himself a huge fan of the series. He’s also quick to point out the difference: “Chuck could download things and learn to do things and [my character] can't do that.”

So, there you have it. Do you think the series are similiar, or just different takes on a common idea?